Rooster Teeth Founders Team Up for BAD TOYS, a Christmas Horror-Comedy Inspired by Deadly Elf Folklore
Christmas is getting a little more sinister thanks to Rooster Teeth founders Matt Hullum and Burnie Burns, who are reuniting for a new holiday horror-comedy titled Bad Toys. The movie takes a creepy approach to Christmas elves, turning the familiar holiday troublemakers into something much more dangerous.
Hullum is writing and directing the film, with Burns serving as executive producer. Suzanne Weinert of Flatiron Pictures is also producing the project, which is currently in development.
Inspired by medieval Christmas elf folklore, Bad Toys explores what happens when a magical little creature takes the whole naughty-or-nice tradition a bit too seriously.
The official description poses a pretty entertaining question: “What if a mischievous Christmas elf brought you what you wanted when you were nice, but made you regret what you asked for if you were naughty?”
That's a fun premise for a Christmas horror movie, especially considering how creepy those little elf dolls can already be when you find one staring at you from an unexpected spot in the house.
As it turns out, Hullum's inspiration came from exactly that kind of experience, courtesy of his wife's holiday pranks.
“Around the holidays, my wife loves to prank us by hiding Christmas elf dolls in unexpected places — including the knife drawer — and has given me quite a few jump scares over the years! I began researching ancient elf lore, mostly Scandinavian, and discovered that there is a rich and bizarre history of mischievous and even deadly elves spanning back centuries.
“Bad Toys is my take on turning those spooky old fairy tales into a modern-day holiday adventure … and an excuse to reunite with some of my Rooster Teeth family and our millions of fans from YouTube and around the world.”
It's a cool concept that could make for a awesomely twisted Christmas movie, mixing old-school folklore with modern holiday traditions. There's plenty of potential for some nasty surprises when the creatures responsible for granting Christmas wishes also decide how to punish bad behavior.
The project also marks another reunion for two of the creative minds who helped build Rooster Teeth into one of the internet's most recognizable entertainment brands.
Founded in 2003, Rooster Teeth became a major part of early online entertainment thanks to its hit animated web series Red vs. Blue and popular gaming channels such as Achievement Hunter.
The company was acquired by Otter Media in 2015 and eventually became part of Warner Bros. following a series of corporate acquisitions involving AT&T.
Burns left Rooster Teeth in 2019, and the company eventually shut down in 2024. However, the story didn't end there. In 2025, Burns came out of retirement to purchase Rooster Teeth back from Warner Bros., bringing the brand back to life.
Now he's excited to work with Hullum again on something completely different. “The moment I heard Matt was launching a new project. I jumped at the opportunity to collaborate again. It’s always an honor to work together, and I can’t wait to help bring his creative vision for Bad Toys to the screen.”
Pre-production on Bad Toys is expected to begin in early 2027, with a theatrical release planned for the Christmas season that same year.
Christmas horror-comedies can be a lot of fun when they find the right balance between scares and ridiculous holiday chaos. With centuries of creepy elf folklore to draw from and the Rooster Teeth founders working together again, Bad Toys sounds like it could deliver some entertaining Christmas carnage.
I'm curious to see just how savage these little elves get when someone ends up on their naughty list.
Source: Variety